


Twist Of Fate

by afteriwake



Category: CSI: NY
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-18
Updated: 2012-09-18
Packaged: 2017-11-14 12:33:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/515277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Jessica had a very good reason for not escorting Connor Dunbrook's kid to trial? What might have been?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I always liked the idea of Angell pregnant with Flack's kid. I started writing this during the hiatus between seasons 5 and 6 and then stepped away from the fandom for a long while, only going back in March 2012. I think it's time to pick this story back up...

He felt her bolt upright and throw off the sheets in a hurry, and that was when he rolled over and looked at the clock on his nightstand. Wasn't even six AM yet. She didn't have to leave for another hour. Then he rolled back over and looked at the open bathroom door and listened to her throw up in the toilet and he knew.

He got out of bed himself and walked into the bathroom, looking at her kneeling on the floor, heaving over the toilet. He watched her wipe her mouth off with the back of her hand and reach up to flush the toilet.

"You're pregnant," he said simply, in a quiet tone of voice that even he could tell held a hint of wonder to it.

"I wasn't sure until right now," she said. "I just thought I was late."

"How late?"

"A week. That's why I wasn't freaking out." She stood up and looked at him, opening her mouth to say something before her eyes went wide and she scrambled back into a sitting position in front of the toilet. He reached over and pulled her hair out of the way as she vomited again. He waited patiently for her to finish, then he let go of her hair and offered her his hand for help getting up. She looked at him, confused. "Why aren't you freaking out?"

"I knew it was a possibility," he said. "You know, it only takes one time."

She nodded. "I forget my pill, condom breaks, and now here we are five weeks later and I'm knocked up," she said wryly. "Are...you okay with this?"

He nodded slowly. "Are you?"

"I don't really know right now."

"Look...you just threw up twice. Maybe you should call in, go see your OB/GYN. Get confirmation, you know?"

She shook her head. "I've got to transport Dunbrook's kid today." Then her eyes widened again and she headed back for the toilet.

"Don't think it's going to be good if you throw up on him," he said, going back to holding her hair back. This time it was just dry heaving, but he felt her hair tug in his light grip as she nodded.

"You're right," she said. "I'll call the Captain, let him know it might be a case of pregnancy."

"You really want to tell him that?" he asked, surprised.

"I found out yesterday there's an office pool about it, held as far away from your attention as possible. Captain knew about it and put his bid in that I'd find out this week. Trust me, I tell him I might be pregnant and he's going to be elated," she said with a tremulous smile as she turned her head and looked at him. "Plus he might actually be happy for us, for all I know."

"So I take it if you are you're keeping the kid."

She nodded. "I told myself if I ever got pregnant I'd carry the kid. Then I'd see what my options were a little further down the line." She caught the look on his face. "Trust me, Don, if I'm really pregnant there's no way in hell I'm giving it up for adoption. That was more my 'if I find myself single and alone' plan. I've got you..." She shrugged slightly. "If you're not freaking out that means you'll be involved."

"You're damn right I will."

"And before you say anything I am _not_ suggesting we get married right away. Or at all. I can handle things continuing as they are for right now. I don't want to do what Danny and Lindsay did."

"To be honest, I feel the same," he said. Then he knelt down next to her and kissed the top of her head. "Come on. Call the Captain and get back into the bed while I run to the store for some saltines."

Her smile became bigger and warmer. "Thanks."

"Hey, it's no problem at all," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. He stayed like that for a moment before letting go, getting up and offering her his hand again. She took it and when she stood up she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. He grinned and began rubbing her back, marveling at the turn his life was about to take.

\---

She got an appointment for nine, and the Captain agreed that with something that important, Flack should be there with her. He'd planned on seeing Terrence Davis that morning, but this was more important. Danny could handle it, and when Flack had called to ask and told him why, Danny had been more than happy to do it for him. Of course, Flack mused, he had to remind Danny not to tell everyone he knew exactly _why_ neither of them were at work, and Danny promised ten ways to Sunday that he'd keep his mouth shut. But Flack knew that withing two minutes of hanging up Lindsay probably knew, and he was okay with that. Danny keeping his mouth completely shut with news that important would have been a miracle.

He wasn't really all that nervous while they were waiting, but Angell was. She kept picking up a magazine and then minutes later dropping it on her lap and fidgeting slightly. He reached over and put his arm around her shoulders, leaning in towards her. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"No, not in the slightest. It's been a half hour, Don. If I'd peed on a stick I would have gotten the results faster."

He grinned. "But they're not always reliable."

She sighed. "I know, I just--"

"Jessica Angell?" They both looked to the nurse standing in the doorway. "The doctor will see you now."

They both stood up and he watched her take a deep breath. As they headed into the office, though, his phone rang. He glanced at the number, saw that it was Danny's and ignored it. Whatever it was that he was calling about, it could wait a few minutes. Then he heard Angell's phone vibrate and he frowned. "Jess, your phone."

"What?" she said. Then she looked down at her side and pulled it off. "It's the captain."

"Soon as we find out what's going on, we should return these calls," he said uneasily. "I get the feeling something's--" His phone rang again. When he checked the number this time it was Stella. "Wrong," he finished.

She started to reply when the doctor entered the office. "Please, have a seat," she said with a warm smile. They both sat down as Angell's phone began to vibrate again. "Is something wrong?" the doctor asked, the smile quickly becomming a frown.

"Something work related," Angell said. "So..."

"You're pregnant," the doctor said with a nod. "Five weeks along."

Angell shut her eyes and then slowly smiled. Flack took one look at her face and knew that, for the moment, she'd accepted what was going on. "Okay. Okay, good," she finally said.

"I want you to start on prenatal pills immediately," the doctor said, pulling over a prescription pad. "And I know the kind of job you do. I want you to be as careful as possible, okay? I also want to see you again in three weeks."

"Okay, three weeks," she said, turning to look at Flack as his phone rang again. The smile turned into a frown. "Answer it?"

He nodded and got up, moving away from the chair where he'd been sitting. "Flack," he said quietly.

"Where are you at?" Mac demanded.

"Doctor's."

"Where's Detective Angell?"

"With me, Mac. What's going on?" There was a moment of silence before Flack heard a Mac's muffled voice informing someone else that Angell was with him. "Mac, tell me what's going on!" he said. He turned and saw both women looking at him.

"Connor Dunbrook has been kidnapped, and there were reports a female detective on scene was shot." Flack's eyes widened. "The name hadn't been released and we all thought it was Detective Angell."

"No, Mac, she here. She's with me. She called in this morning because she was sick."

Mac breathed a sigh of relief. "We're on our way to the scene. Is she better now?"

"Yeah," Flack said.

"Come to the scene as fast as you can. Let me give you the address."

Flack looked at the doctor. "Can I get a pen and something to write with?"

She nodded. "Certainly." She handed him the pen she'd been using to write the prescription and a notepad.

"Thanks." He got situated. "Give it to me, Mac."

Mac reeled off an address. "When do you think you can make it?"

"Twenty minutes, give or take."

"We should be there by then."

"All right. See you there." He hung up and ripped off the page with the address and handed the notepad and pen back to the doctor. "I have to go."

"Don? What the hell happened?" Angell asked.

He looked at her and took a deep breath. "Dunbrook's kid was kidnapped. Someone got shot. A woman. Everyone thought it was you."

"Oh God," Angell said, her eyes widening. "Where are you going?"

"To the scene."

"I'm coming with you," she said, getting up.

"Jess..." he began.

"I'm _coming_ with you," she said, her face determined.

He nodded slowly. "Okay. Let's go."

"Jessica?" the doctor said.

"Yes?"

She looked at her closely. "Please remember to make an appointment. You don't have to do it right now, but it's important."

She nodded. "I know. I'll call later today, if I can."

"Okay," the doctor said.

"Let's go," Angell replied, opening the door and heading out.

Flack followed her in silence until they got to the elevator. Once they were inside he turned to her. "Jess, tell me what you're thinking."

"It could have been me," she said quietly. "God, Don, it really could have been me." She turned to look at him and she saw tears beginning to fall down her face. He took a step towards her and pulled her into his arms, letting her sob on his shoulder. It was all he could do. He hadn't felt so helpless in a long time, and all he could do right now was hold her close and thank fate for morning sickness, because if it hadn't happened, he would have lost her forever that morning. Lost her and the baby. He didn't even want to think about that.


	2. Chapter 2

They arrived to the scene after a car ride full of silence. Angell had stared out the window the entire time, or at least every time Flack risked a glance her way. He did notice that one of her hands was always over her stomach, in a protective sort of way. He was glad she felt this way, as it showed she was already thinking of their child as something very important and very real.

His mind was reeling over that fact that in about eight months he was going to be a father. Even with the crime scene they were about to face involving a cop that could be critically injured or dead, his main line of thought was that he was going to be a father, and he would do anything to protect that child from harm, and anything to protect Angell, or at least protect her as much as she would let him. He knew how she was...they hadn't been together so long that he didn't know they way she thought by now.

He got out of the car and she followed. The first person who spotted them was Stella, who came rushing over to them. "Flack, Jess," she said. Then she reached over and put her hands on Angell's shoulders. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Angell nodded slowly and looked past towards the decimated diner. "Who was it?"

"Clarissa Palmer," Stella said. "She's in surgery right now. Lindsay's at the hospital to collect her clothes and the bullets."

Angell nodded and swallowed slowly. And then she looked over at Flack. "Someone should go tell her son what happened. And Jason."

"Yeah," he said with a nod.

"Her son?" Stella asked.

"Clarissa's from our precinct. She's a single mother, but she's engaged to this banker named Jason," Flack explained.

"I can go tell Jason," Angell said. "We're friendly, and I think he'd take it better from me than anyone else from the precinct except Don."

"You guys are close?" she asked gently.

"Double date all the time," Flack said just as quietly. "When we're not doubling with Danny and Lindsay."

Stella nodded and then turned to Angell. "I think that's a good idea. He's at work?"

"He should be. Which hospital is she at?"

"Trinity."

Angel turned to Flack and he wordlessly handed her the keys, squeezing her hand slightly before he let go. She gave him a small smile and headed back to the car. Stella and Flack watched her get in and pull away, heading back down the street. "Mac said she was sick. She looks fine to me," Stella said.

"She is," Flack said, in a voice that hinted Stella should stop right there. He looked at her and saw a knowing glint in her eye. "Stell...did Danny say something?"

"No, not a word. But there's only one real reason you and her would be at the doctor's office together," she said. "Is she?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. But don't tell her I told you."

"I can keep a secret," she said seriously. "I've kept enough of them over the years."

"I know," he said. "Come on, I want to know how I can help."

She nodded and tilted her head towards the wreckage. "Follow me."

They walked past the debris and the thing that caught his eye was the pool of blood that had dried on the floor. For a brief moment he saw Angell's body lying there, and he shut his eyes and shook his head to make the macabre image go away. He turned his attention elsewhere and saw the CSIs busy at work. He wondered exactly what he could do, since it seemed they had things under control.

"Mac, Flack's here," Stella called out as they got closer to the man.

Mac looked up and switched his gaze from Stella to Flack. "Think you can help with interviewing the witnesses?"

"Yeah, I can do that," he said with a nod. "Where do you want me to start?"

Mac pointed towards a cluster of people to his far left. "They're still waiting for someone to talk to them."

"On it, then," he said, taking the notebook and pen Mac was handing him and making his way over to them. There was work to be done, and he cleared his mind and settled in to do the job. It was what he had to do right now, and he was good at doing it, but he knew it was going to take a lot of concentration to keep on it today.

\---

He'd taken it well, Angell thought to herself as she sat in the waiting room where she'd been for the last three hours. She'd have been nursing a cup of coffee while she waited if the smell hadn't made her want to puke again. There was nothing to do but wait, and the waiting was damn hard.

"Feeling better?"

She looked up and saw Lindsay standing over her. "Yeah," she replied.

"That's good," she said.

The two women looked at each other as they lapsed into silence. Angell had never really worked with Lindsay on cases. Mostly she worked with Danny or Stella, and the only reason she really talked to Lindsay was because her husband was Flack's best friend. She was a good woman, but Angell had never really clicked with her they way she'd clicked with Stella.

"I have to go take this to evidence," Lindsay said after a moment, holding up a plastic sack. "I just...wanted to make sure you were okay."

Angell nodded. "I'm fine," she said.

"Okay," Lindsay said before she turned and walked down the hall. Angell turned her attention to Jason and Clarissa's son Matthew. Jason was pacing in front of Matthew, who was sitting in a chair with a dazed look on his face. Angell wanted to console them, but she was afraid. Clarissa was in surgery fighting for her life because she'd covered for her. Jason had known about Angell not being there when she'd gone to tell him, and she was just waiting for the blame to be placed on her shoulders. It was going to be bad enough if Clarissa lived; if she died, then the guilt would be unbearable.

After another half hour the doctor came out, looking weary but not completely somber. "Are you here for Clarissa Palmer?" he asked the group.

"Yes," Jason replied.

"The surgery was successful," he said, and Jason grinned with relief. "It took a long time, because the surgery was complicated, but we managed to save her. At the moment she's on her way to recovery. You can't visit quite yet, but I wanted to let you know." He paused. "One of the bullets hit near her spinal column. There is a chance there might be damage."

"You mean she might be paralyzed?" Matthew asked.

The doctor shook his head. "No, nothing was severed. But she may have nerve damage that could prove to be a lifetime challenge." He looked at his watch. "You can probably go see her in about a half hour."

"Thank you," Jason said with obvious relief, putting his arm around Matthew's shoulder and pulling him into a hug.

Angell watched the scene and felt some of the guilt lessen. She would live, but there was the chance she would be damaged for life. But at least she was alive. That was a very good thing. "Jason, I'm going to let everyone else know, okay?" she said quietly.

He nodded. "Okay." He looked at Matthew, then the two of them turned and walked down the hallway. Angell watched them leave and then quickly exited the hospital. She had hoped that the good news would lessen the knot in her stomach but it wasn't. A thought of her own dead body lying on the table flittered through her mind and she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, horrified at where her brain was going. She shut her eyes for a moment but the image stayed. Only when she opened them and forced herself to pull out her phone and dial a number did it go away.

She dialed Flack's number first, since right now it was the only one she could think of. "Jess," he said after two rings. "What's the news?"

"She's alive," she said. "Surgery was complicated and she may have nerve damage, but she's alive."

"It's a miracle," he said, and she shut her eyes again. This time the image didn't come back but she opened them quickly anyway. She didn't want to risk it.

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "A miracle."

"Was she wearing a vest?"

"Don't know. But the bullets Lindsay had looked like armor piercing, so even if she was..."

"Yeah," he said. "Look...it's going to be a while. What are you going to do?"

"I think I'm going home," she said. "I don't feel all that great again." 

"Okay. Want me to swing by when I'm done?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding even though he couldn't see her. "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

"Then I'll drop by at some point tonight." Then he paused. "Love you."

"Love you too," she said, relieved that the simple declaration put a small smile on her face as she hung up. She knew it was going to be hard to deal with all this, but as long as he was there, maybe it would all work out for her.


	3. Chapter 3

She had tried to sleep but every time she shut her eyes she saw images of an event that had never happened. She saw herself in front of a vehicle, saw men come out of it with guns, saw herself pull out her gun and start firing, saw herself fall to the floor after she looked down and saw a red stain on her chest. That was the hardest part, she thought, until she saw Flack rush towards her and pick her up, cradling her against his chest as she was rushed to the hospital.

She woke up before she saw herself die. The sheets were tangled and she was sweaty. She sat up and looked at the clock. It was only noon, and she knew there would be no more rest for her until tonight, if she even slept then. She would not be sleeping alone if she could help it. She needed to feel him next to her, with his arm draped around her waist like he always did, his grip tight but not too restrictive. She needed his solid warmth tonight, and just _maybe_ she would sleep.

Knowing she would have to get it over with eventually, she left her bedroom and went into her living room to watch the news. Dunbrook's son being kidnapped and a police officer being shot were bound to be the biggest news around, and maybe if she watched it she would start making peace with it. Maybe.

She sat down on the couch and flipped it on. "We now take you to a press conference being held by Robert Dunbrook," she said. Angell felt herself shake slightly as the camera zoomed in on his face.

"Today my son was kidnapped. We have recieved no ransom note, and I know the NYPD is on top of the case. I have hope that he will be safely returned, and that the NYPD will not waste any time in finding him and bringing his captors to justice. Thank you."

Angell felt herself start to get angry. Not one mention of Clarissa, who almost died protecting his son. Yes, she didn't stop the captors from getting what they wanted, but she saved everyone elses life and got shot in return. Angell looked at the remote and threw it at the TV. How _dare_ Dunbrook not talk about her! Clarissa was a hero, she thought to herself, and the entire world should know.

Just then, another man moved up to the podium, and Angell was relieved to see it was Chief Sinclair. "Today we nearly lost a valued member of the NYPD. Detective Clarissa Palmer is in critical condition at Trinity Hospital following the attack, and we hope that all of your prayers go out to her." Then he launched into some vague details as to what the NYPD was going to do and she tuned out. She'd heard enough.

She got off the couch and went to pick up the remote, changing the channel to a random daytime soap, and then another, and after cycling through the soaps and daytime TV talk shows she turned off the TV. She had too much running through her head to focus on anything. She didn't want to hear the thoughts or see the images flitting in her brain, and she didn't know what else to do. And then she realized she had to get out of there, to do _something_ , anything. She went over to the table where she'd dropped her purse and saw that the prescription had fallen out of it.

"I should go fill this," she said quietly to herself, surprised momentarily how loud her voice sounded in the silent room. She grabbed the keys to Flack's car and headed towards her door as it opened. She froze momentarilly until she saw it was Flack. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

He held up a bag he was holding. "Hawkes suggested I bring you chicken noodle soup, since you were sick."

She groaned. "How many of them figured out I'm pregnant?"

"Just Stella. And Danny asked me, and I told him, only because he already knew. Lindsay probably knows by now, too. Hawkes really just thinks you're sick."

She looked at the bag, caught the aroma of soup, and smiled. "You went to Roselini's, didn't you?"

He nodded. "You brought me some of their chicken soup when I had pneumonia. Figured you liked it, since you ate most of it that day."

"You weren't up for eating, and it was just getting cold," she replied, setting her purse ont he back of the couch. "Got a minute to share some of that with me?"

He shook his head. "I have leads to run down, but they were in this part of town so I figured I'd stop by, you know?"

"That's sweet." She went up to him and took the bag out of his hand. Then she set it on the table she had by the door and reached out to him. He folded her into a hug and just held her for a few minutes. "You coming over tonight?" she asked, her voice partly muffled since she'd buried her face in his shoulder, trying to imprint his unique smell in her memory. He'd tossed on his favorite cologne, the one she'd bought him for their six month anniversary because she thought he needed something different, and she was never more happy that he'd done so.

"Yeah," he said. "I figured you might not want to be alone tonight."

"I was sleeping earlier and I just...it was hard." He felt her pull away slightly. "I mean, I wasn't even shot, but I think I'm going to have nightmares for a while."

"It happens," he said, leaning over and kissing her forehead gently. "I'll stay over as long as you need me to."

"Good," she said, looking at him with a sad smile on her face.

"We should talk, though. About everything."

"Not tonight," she said, shaking her head.

"All right, not tonight," he said with a nod. "But...soon."

"I know," she said with a small sigh. "Let's try to do that tomorrow after work."

"Okay," he said. "Tomorrow."

"I'll pick up something to eat while I'm out getting the prescription filled. I jsut really want to stay in tonight."

"Sounds like a plan," he said. He cupped her face in his hands. "You need me, you call, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He leaned in and kissed her, a soft and slightly lingering kiss. She knew he wanted to stay, and that he couldn't, and that he wanted answers to a million questions that she just didn't want to think about right now. At the moment, though, she just wanted to lose herself in the kiss, in the normalcy it provided. When he pulled away she opened her eyes; when he let go of her face she felt colder. "I have to go," he said.

He's almost walked out into the hall again before she reached over to grab his arm. He paused and looked down at her hand. "Promise me you'll be very careful if you have to go after them tonight."

"I promise," he said with a nod.

"Okay." She let go and watched him walk down the hall towards the elevator. When he got in he caught her staring and gave her a wave. When she went to wave back the doors had already closed, and she let her hand fall slowly. It wasn't until she was back inside that she realized she'd forgotten to tell him she loved him. Frantic, she ran to the phone and dialed his cell.

"Hey," he said. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot to tell you I love you," she said, finding herself on tenterhooks waiting for his response.

"I love you too," he replied. "And once again, I promise I'll be careful, okay?"

"Okay," she said quietly. "Bye."

"Bye."

She hung up then and looked at the phone. She would never, _ever_ forget to tell him that before he walked out the door. Never. It was just too important that he know. She looked at the paper sack with the soup and went over to it. Getting the prescription filled could wait a little bit, she realized with a start when her stomach started growling. She really was hungry. Of course she'd be, she thought to herself. Twenty or so saltines was not enough food to last for the morning. She picked up the bag and went to the table, feeling just a little more relaxed then earlier. Not too much, not enough as she would like, but the knot in her stomach eased a bit. She hoped soon it would just go away, but the realist in her knew it would be a long time before it disappeared completely.

\---

"How's she taking it?" Stella asked Flack once he got back to the labs. He'd come in to tell Mac that his leads had all been for nothing, but Stella got to him first.

"Not well," he said. "She had nightmares while she was sleeping and woke up. I think she's taking it really hard since she knows that it would have been her there if I hadn't pushed for us to go to the doctor's."

"She'll probably have some form of survivor's guilt," Stella said. "Sometimes avoiding something like this by a twist of fate is just as bad as actually living through it. Some of the people who should have been in the Twin Towers on 9/11 went through it."

"I know. Wish there was someone I could talk to about it, about finding out what to do."

"Hawkes might be a good start," she replied. "Go tell Mac what you need to tell him and then go find him. He's in ballistics running the bullets."

Flack nodded and headed towards Mac's office. He knocked on the door and when Mac motioned for him to come in he opened the door and stepped inside. "Anything?" Mac asked. He looked weary yet determined.

Flack shook his head. "Nothing."

"Damn," Mac said quietly, turning away. "We're still waiting on results. There's things to go on, but I was hoping something else would pan out."

"Sorry, Mac," he replied.

Mac sighed, and then turned back to him. "How's Jess?"

"Nightmares have already started."

He nodded. "Well, if you need to take some time to talk to her, take it. Just don't spend hours on the phone."

"I won't," he replied. "Hey, Mac? Can I ask you a question?"

Mac nodded. "Sure."

"What should I do? I've never been in this kind of situation before."

Mac was quiet for a moment. "Be there for her as much as you can. If she needs to talk, listen. That's what I would suggest."

"Thanks," he said with a nod.

"We got word on Clarissa," he said. "She's not awake yet, but she's doing better. Not enough to get an upgraded condition, but they aren't as worried about he outcome."

"Good to know. I might stop by there later."

"Let's catch these guys first."

Flack nodded and then turned to leave the office. Instead of going to Hawkes, though, he searched out Stella again and found her in AV. "Hey, Stell," he said.

"Yes?" she said, pausing the video she was watching.

"Thanks," he said.

"For what?" she asked, slightly confused.

"For being a good friend."

Understanding dawned in her eyes. She knew he was doing what everyone else was doing: reconnecting with the important people in their life. "You're a good friend, too."

He grinned at her. "I'm off to go find Hawkes. Anything you need me to pass along?"

She shook her head and turned back to the screen. "Only that I'm about to chuck this monitor out the window and watch it drop all the way down. If it lands on someone, too bad."

His grin widened. "I'll pass that along."

"You do that," she said with a laugh.

He headed out of AV, feeling a little bit better about things. If he was lucky, the day would end well and he'd be able to start helping Angell through whatever she was going through. If not...well, he didn't want to think about the if not possibility. Today, he just wanted to focus on whatever good could come out of it.


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't until after Connor Dunbrook son was rescued that Flack took a moment to really breathe. Both of the kidnappers had been shot, with one of them in critical condition and the other dead. Flack had had to fire the killing shot and it didn't sit well with him. If he could avoid killing someone he would, but in that case it hadn't been possible. He'd had a gun pointed at Danny and...well, it just wasn't possible.

With a sigh he let himself into Angell's apartment. She'd want answers, but first he wanted a shower and then something to eat. "Hey," he called out.

"Hey," she called back from the kitchen. The smells hit him and he realized she hadn't just picked up something to eat from a restaurant. She was actually cooking tonight. He felt himself grin. It felt like it did when he came home from school to find his mom in the kitchen. It felt really good. He walked into the kitchen and saw her stirring sauce in a pot. He went up behind her and hugged her, being careful not to interrupt her stirring. "You stink."

"Yeah, well, I was busy."

"I heard. I saw you on the news escorting Dunbrook's son into a police van." She leaned against him slightly. "You okay?"

"Had to shoot someone," he said quietly.

She set the spoon down and turned in his arms, hugging his waist. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it was either shoot him or lose Danny." He shrugged slightly. "I like Danny more."

"If you want to talk about it, I'll listen," she said.

He nodded. "I know. I just don't want to talk about it until after I've had a shower and some food."

"Well, I'm making spaghetti sauce from scratch, and it should be done in twenty minutes, so you can grab a quick shower now." She kissed his cheek and let go of him. "Go."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a grin as he turned and headed to the bathroom. Her place was as well known to him as his own by now, so he grabbed a bigger towel from the closet than the ones she actually had in the bathroom and stepped inside. He turned on the water and began stripping out of his clothes, envisioning the comfortable sweats he had stashed in his drawer. He needed comfort tonight.

He stepped under the water and just let it pour over him. His thoughts were going a million miles an hour, and there were so many of them he didn't know which ones to concentrate on first. He settled on the baby. Already he was thinking of names, of how to handle the living situation, of who to ask to be godparents, of who to tell first and when and how. It was all running through his head but these were welcomed thoughts.

The thoughts were put on hold, though, when Angell came in. "Danny's on the phone and he says he needs to talk to you right now," she said. "Has to do with today."

"Tell him I'll call him back in five," he said.

"Okay. He's at home. And I'll remind him to call your cell next time, not my home line."

He grinned as she left the bathroom. He finished up in a hurry, got out and wrapped the towel around his waist and headed into the bedroom. It only took him a couple of minutes to get dressed and then he headed out into the living room and grabbed his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He dialed Danny's home number quickly. "Danny, this better be important."

"It is. When are you going to tell everyone she's pregnant?"

Flack's jaw dropped. "Danny, I thought you were calling about this afternoon. You know, when I shot someone? To save _you_?"

"I know, I know. But...Hawkes was starting to wonder how sick Angell was, and once Adam heard he was making guesses, and then Mac overheard, so I figured I'd give you a heads up. Everyone's getting close to guessing."

That caught Flack's attention. "We hadn't talked about it yet. I mean, I just got here not even fifteen minutes ago. But...yeah, this is something we need to figure out. I don't even know if she's told the Captain yet." He pulled his phone away. "Have you told Captain Harris you're pregnant yet, Jess?"

"No," she called back from the kitchen. "Why?"

"Everyone at the labs is starting to guess."

"Damn," she said. "Can't I at least tell my family first?"

"I know," he replied. Then he turned his attention back to Danny. "Stell wouldn't tell anyone, and I know you and Lindsay will stay quiet, but can you deflect everyone until after we've told our families at least?"

"Yeah, I can do that. I'll stare Adam down next time he makes a guess. I can intimidate him when I need to."

"Fine, do that. Just...probably won't be more than a couple days, maybe."

"I can hold them off for a couple days."

"Thanks."

"Hey, about today...what are you going to do since you're on desk duty while you're waiting to be cleared?"

"I already had tomorrow off...Jess and I had planned for it a few weeks ago. So I don't know what we're going to do, but thinking about work is not what I plan on doing."

"Good to know. Then I'll see you in a couple days, okay?"

"Okay," Flack said. "Got to go. I want to eat soon."

"All right. Bye."

Flack hung up on Danny and then went back into the kitchen, where he saw Angell frowning over the sauce. "What's wrong?"

"I think we should tell my dad tomorrow." She looked over at him. "He'll probably take it better than anyone."

"Yeah. My dad's going to push for marriage when I tell him. But how do you know your dad won't?"

"Because I told him that if this ever happened and I was with the guy we'd figure it out on our own, no outside help needed. He listens to me, unlike my brothers. _They're_ going to push for marriage since I'm the little sister."

"I'd like us to get married someday."

She stared at him, eyes wide. "Really?"

He nodded. "Not just for the kid, either. Eventually I would have asked, I think."

"And now?" she asked.

"Now I might just wait for you to ask me," he said with a nod, watching her smile.

"You know, that might not be a bad idea. When I'm ready, _if_ I'm ready, then I know you'll say yes."

"You know I want to live with you once you have the baby, right?" he said a little more seriously.

"Yeah, I know. I was thinking about that today. We already practically live together. Shouldn't be that hard to actually do it, you know?"

"How are we going to figure everything out? I mean, about where to live?"

"Well, we'll need a two bedroom, obviously, so...guess we'd have to go apartment hunting." She went back to her sauce. "Let's talk about this more while we're eating, okay? I don't want to burn the sauce."

He went over and kissed the top of her head. "Okay." He went out into the living room and sat on the couch, flipping throught he channels and avoiding the news at all costs. He settled on a random movie on one of the movie stations and relaxed into the couch more. "You know, maybe we could watch a movie tonight," he suggested.

"Works for me," she said as she poked her head out into the living room. "Dinner's done."

"Good," he said, getting off the couch and heading over to her table. "Looks good."

"Thanks," she said. "Spent a while on the sauce. Plus I made garlic bread and bought something for dessert."

"Nice," he said with a grin.

"Yeah. Even though I'm tired I didn't want to go back to sleep just yet," she said. "I didn't think I'd stay asleep for long."

He reached over and grabbed her hand. "That's part of the reason I'm here tonight. You wanted me over, remember?"

"And what's the other part?" she asked, grabbing his hand.

"I don't like spending my nights without you. I'd have been miserable."

She smiled. "Good thing I like you, then. Wouldn't want you being miserable."

"Yeah, I know," he said, squeezing her hand before letting go. "Come on, let's eat."


	5. Chapter 5

He must have been more tired than he'd thought because when she got back to bed after going to throw up he hadn't moved an inch. She sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed his hair back, just watching him sleep. Normally, he was the one awake and she was the one being watched, so the reversal in position surprised her. And delighted her, too...she loved just looking at him, but if she looked too long sometimes he'd get uncomfortable, so she'd stop. When he was sleeping, though, she could look as much as she wanted.

After a few minutes she got up off the bed again and padded out into the kitchen, intent on getting some juice and hoping her stomach was settled enough for it. She had had her hand on her belly for nearly two minutes before she realized it. She stood there, looking down and wondering what it was going to be like being pregnant. She'd seen Lindsay go through it, and saw what it did to her body. And to her demeanor, too...most of the time she'd had a dreamy, contented look on her face, the times when Angell would go into the labs for one reason or another and catch Lindsay just staring down at her stomach.

And in a few months, she'd be doing the same.

She wanted to tell everyone, wanted to shout it from the rooftops. She was going to have a baby. Even better than that, it was Flack's baby. She couldn't think of anyone better for the task of fatherhood. Now she just hoped she didn't screw anything up before the baby was born. That sobered her up and she frowned. He wouldn't leave, no matter how hormonal she got. Or would he? She could be a pain when she was angry or irritated. And they'd fought before.

She headed back into the bedroom, sat down on the bed and shook his shoulder. "Five more minutes," he mumbled into the pillow.

"I've got to ask you something," she said. He didn't reply, and she shook harder.

He lifted his head up and looked at her, his eyes unfocused for a moment before he rubbed them. Then he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"You aren't going to leave me, are you?" she asked quietly.

He sat up and looked at her for a moment before reaching over to pull her closer to him. "I'm not going to leave you, Jess," he said quietly as he rested his chin on top of her head. "You don't have to worry about that. I love you, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, but what if I get really bitchy? Like, so bitchy you want to throw stuff at me?" she asked, lifting her head up.

"Then I'll leave the room. But I won't leave you or the baby, all right?" He moved his hands so he was cupping her face, forcing her to look at him. "You have to trust me on this."

She sighed. "I do. I just...I worry. And I think I'm going to get worse."

"Probably," he said with a grin. "But we can handle it."

"Sorry I woke you up," she said quietly. "I should have let you sleep."

"Tell you what," he said, moving his hands again so he could pull her in even closer. "How about we just stay in bed for another hour, see what happens?"

She looked at him skeptically. "You still want to have sex with me? Right now?"

"Trust me, you have never looked sexier," he said with a bigger grin.

"Let's wait a couple months and see if you still feel the same way, when I'm feeling fat and ugly," she said with a grin, leaning back and pulling him on top of her.

"You'll still be sexy," he murmured before kissing her. She wound her arms around his neck and relaxed. For right now, she thought fleetingly, everything was going to be okay. Everything was perfect, in fact.

So why did the nagging thought in the back of her head tell her something was going to go wrong?

\---

Hours later they were dressed and standing in front of her father's place. She was surprised she wasn't nervous. She really couldn't wait to tell him. This would be his first grandchild, and he was going to be ecstatic. She knocked on the door and waited, reaching over for Flack's hand. He grabbed it and ran his thumb over her knuckles for a minute before her father opened the door.

"I get the both of you?" he asked with a grin as he moved out of the way. "I take it there's some big news here, isn't there?"

Angell waited until her and Flack were in the apartment and her father had shut the door. "So, yeah, we have news," she said with a smile. She took a deep breath and the smile grew wider. "I'm pregnant."

Her father's face erupted into the largest grin she'd ever seen and he came over to her and hugged her hard. "My baby's having a baby?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm having a baby," she said with a laugh, hugging him back. When he pulled away he went over to Flack and hugged him as well. "There's one thing, though."

"What?"

"Don and I aren't getting married. Not right away. Maybe not ever," she said. She looked at her father. "Are you okay with that?"

He nodded. "So long as you stick around, Don."

"Wasn't planning on going anywhere," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"So, how far along are you?" her father asked, motioning for them to sit down, which they did.

"Five weeks. Morning sickness hit for the first time yesterday."

"Your mother only had morning sickness until the end of her first trimester with all of you kids. Hopefully the same goes for you."

"Yeah, hopefully," she said with a smile.

"Going to tell anyone else today?"

"Thought I might track down my sister, tell her before I tell my dad," Flack said. "I don't think he's going to take it as well as you and Sam are."

"Conservative?" he asked.

"Very. And very Catholic. He's going to want us married before this baby comes into the world, and I don't know if that's going to happen." He looked over at Angell. "Ball's in her court for this."

"What do you mean?" her father asked.

"When I decide I want to get married I'm going to ask him to marry me," Angell said. "Are you really okay with this?"

"As long as I get to see my grandson or granddaughter, then I'm happy with any decisions you two make," he said with a nod. "Have you two eaten yet?" They shook their heads. "Come on. This calls for a celebratory breakfast. My treat." He got up and Flack and Angell followed, following him out the door and to the sidewalk below.

\---

"That went really well," Flack said as they stood in front of Samantha's apartment. "I think this'll go well, too."

"Yeah, I hope so. Since Sam got sober she's been great to be around."

"Nine months going, last time I asked. I'm proud of her," he said before hitting the buzzer for her apartment.

There was a few seconds of silence before a female voice was heard. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sam. I've got news."

"Donny! Give me a sec to buzz you in," she said.

A few seconds later the door to the building unlocked and Flack and Angell went inside. "Third story walk up. I always told her she needs a place with an elevator," Flack said.

"She loves this place," Angell said, beginning the climb.

They continued in silence, and when they got to her floor they saw Samantha standing outside. She took one look at Angell and here eyes and grin widened. "Oh my God you're pregnant!"

Angell laughed and nodded. "We were supposed to _tell_ you that."

Samantha bounded over and gave Angell a hug, and then gave Flack one as well. "I'm going to be an aunt! How far along are you?"

"Five weeks," she said.

"Come on in. Sit down. Want something to drink? I have a lot of soda," she said. "Been babysitting a neighbor's kid and he loves soda."

"I'd like a Coke," Angell said.

"Nah, I'm good," Flack said.

"One Coke coming up," Samantha said, heading into her kitchen. "Go ahead and get comfortable." They sat down on her couch and after a moment Samantha came back with a glass of soda. "Thought you might like it cold."

"Thanks," Angell said, taking a sip.

"So, you told Pop yet?" Samantha asked.

Flack shook his head. "Tomorrow, probably. Think you can keep it quiet till then?"

"Lips are sealed," she said. "I'll even act surprised if he tells me."

"Chances are he'll figure out I told you already," Flack said with a slight shrug. "Not that it matters. He isn't going to be completely happy with the news."

"So I take it you two aren't planning on getting married?" she replied.

"Not until I want to, if I want to at all," Angell said.

"Ah," Samantha said with a nod. "Well, as long as I get to spoil my niece or nephew, I'll back you two up all the way on this."

"I'll be calling in babysitting favors," Flack said with a smile.

"Good. I'm good with kids," she said. "I tell you I got an interview at a preschool?"

"You finished those child development classes already?" Flack asked, surprised.

She shook her head. "It's not to teach the kids. I'll be handling front desk and stuff like that. Glorified secretary. But they know I'm working towards being able to teach, and if there's a position open when I can they'll hire me." She grinned. "I think I impressed the boss. I should hear back tomorrow, actually."

"Well, then I wish you good luck," Angell said.

"Thanks. Not sure I need it, but it's good to have anyway."

Angell looked down at her drink and then put it on the table. "Maybe Coke wasn't such a good idea."

"Bathroom's down the hall if you need it," Samantha said in a concerned voice.

"Hopefully it'll just pass on its own," Angell said, shutting her eyes and lowering her head.

"It gonna be like that a lot?" Smantha asked as Flack began rubbing Angell's back.

"Hopefully not. Her mom only had morning sickness to the end of her first trimester, or at least that's what her dad said," Flack said. "We hope she's that lucky."

Angell pushed his hand away and got up, heading down the hall as quickly as possible. Samantha and Flack's gaze followed her. "I get the feeling this may be a long eight months," Flack murmured.

"You have my sympathies, Donny," she said. "But just think: when it's all over, you'll have a kid."

He turned to her and grinned. "Very good point, Sammy. Very good point."


End file.
